Abstract A disruptor device particularly suited for rapidly grinding up pharmaceutical tablets in a liquid and agitating the mixture to dissolve the active ingredients of the tablets in the liquid for subsequent chemical analysis. The device comprises a rotatable shaft extending through a hollow member which is formed at its lower end with a series of circularly arranged spaced teeth. The shaft carries at its lower end a rotor provided with a plurality of teeth which are surrounded by the teeth on the hollow member. Rotation of the rotor draws the tablet and liquid upward into the rotor and propels the mixture radially outward through the teeth in the hollow member whereby the tablet will be severed and broken into pieces by the shearing action between the two sets of teeth. Some of the teeth on the outer hollow member are shorter than the other teeth thereon so as to provide entrance openings for large particles to enter the head of the device. An inverted conical shaped deflector is provided on the bottom of the rotor to eliminate stagnant eddy currents within the rotor.
A device for disrupting tablets or other solid materials in a liquid comprising: a hollow member; a rotatable shaft extending axially through said member; means for rotating said shaft; a rotor fixed to one end of said shaft; a series of circularly arranged spaced teeth secured to one end of said hollow member and concentric with the axis of rotation of said shaft; said rotor including a plurality of teeth extending beyond said one end of said shaft, said rotor teeth being surrounded by said series of teeth and positioned in sufficiently close radial proximity thereto so that a shearing action will be produced by said teeth on solid materials drawn into engagement with said teeth by rotation of said rotor; and at least some of the teeth of said series being longer in the axial direction than the other of said teeth.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
143 words
A device for disrupting tablets or other solid materials in a liquid comprising: a hollow member; a rotatable shaft extending axially through said member; means for rotating said shaft; a rotor fixed to one end of said shaft; a series of circularly arranged spaced teeth secured to one end of said hollow member and concentric with the axis of rotation of said shaft; said rotor including a plurality of teeth extending beyond said one end of said shaft, said rotor teeth being surrounded by said series of teeth and positioned in sufficiently close radial proximity thereto so that a shearing action will be produced by said teeth on solid materials drawn into engagement with said teeth by rotation of said rotor; and at least some of the teeth of said series being longer in the axial direction than the other of said teeth.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein: said rotor includes a laterally extending arm mounted on said one end of said shaft symmetrically with respect to said axis, said rotor teeth being remote from the center of said arm to provide a central suction space.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
29 words
A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein: said arm is formed with an inverted conical center portion concentric with said axis and extending into said suction space.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
26 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the longer teeth of said series and said rotor teeth terminate in substantially the same radial plane.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
29 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein: the longer teeth of said series are positioned alternately with respect to the other of said teeth of said series.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
51 words
A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein: there are provided two diametrically opposed rotor teeth spaced from the center of said rotor to provide a central suction space; and said rotor is formed with an inverted conical center portion concentric with said axis and extending into said suction space.